A federal judge handed House Democrats a massive victory today by ordering the Justice Department to turn over grand jury material from the former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation to Congress.
Judge Beryl A. Howell, the chief judge of the US District Court for the District of Columbia, ordered the Justice Department to give the House Judiciary Committee the following:
- All portions of Mueller’s final report on Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election that were redacted.
- Any underlying transcripts or exhibits referenced in the redacted portions of the report.
The ruling also said the judiciary committee can review the material and “submit further requests articulating” the need for additional grand jury material going forward.
Howell’s decision comes after months of back-and-forth between Democrats and the Justice Democrats over obtaining the full, unredacted Mueller report.
The report details a slew of contacts that members of President Donald Trump’s campaign had with individuals associated with the Russian government during and after the 2016 election.
Those interactions took place while Russia was actively meddling in the race to propel Trump to the Oval Office.
Mueller’s report also outlined more than 10 instances in which Trump tried to obstruct justice throughout the course of the investigation.
His efforts were largely unsuccessful, the report said, but only because his staff largely refused to carry out his directives.
